1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerated container for receiving and storing materials, such as medical wastes, at a site, such as a hospital, for a relatively extended time, then transporting the materials to a disposal facility. The container is designed such that the materials can be dumped into a disposal facility, such as an incinerator, without the necessity of personnel coming into contact with the waste materials.
2. Background of the Invention
Hospitals and medical clinics generate large quantities of waste resulting from the medical services provided. Certain categories of these wastes present a health threat to individuals and to the community if the wastes are mishandled or allowed to escape into the environment. These wastes include liquids and solids, and contain residues of drugs, infectious agents, pathogens and other dangerous materials and instrumentalities associated with disease and its treatment.
Currently, such wastes are handled in a way which presents an opportunity for individuals to come into contact with the wastes and for the wastes to come into contact with the environment before disposal in an approved manner. For example, wastes which may be dangerous are collected in receptacles, such as plastic bags, at the sites where they are generated. These bags of wastes containing substantial organic matter and having liquid as well as solid components, are then placed in leak resistant containers and stored under refrigeration until disposed of. When sufficient wastes are accumulated in storage, the wastes are transported, by means such as a refrigerated truck, to a disposal facility, such as an incinerator. At the disposal facility, the wastes are unloaded from the transport means for disposal.
Substantial opportunities exist for wastes handled in the above manner to come into harmful contact with individuals and with the environment. The bags of waste are handled several times by individuals in the process of taking the wastes to storage, loading the stored wastes into the transport means, and unloading the wastes at the disposal facility. The bags may burst in storage or during transport, allowing harmful agents such as pathogens and other infectious agents, to come into contact with those individuals handling the wastes, or allowing harmful agents to escape into the environment.